The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-05-25

could coax her to tell me-"
Shirley read it and started to her feet.
"Read, only read Rips papers," said She
The contents of the notebook were a strange
medley The spelling was as original as the
ideas and sentences were. Preparing it had
been the labor of years. The poor soul had
built it slowly and painfully, little at a
time, as one might dig his way out through
dungeon walls with his hands. Rips literary
accomplishments had been matter of pride
to him The book was half diary, half moral
and mental philosophy, from a vagabond's
view In it he gave such history of himself
as he knew, circumstantially laid down All
through ran a vein of belief that he had been
born to better things
Such parts of the strange conglomerate as
belong to this history will be laid before the
reader. Not always, however, in the original
spelling. That would cause it to be mistaken
for the jokes of some great American humor-
ist. 1t began as follows:
JOURNAL OF A TRAMP.
II don't know where I was born. l don't
know whose son am. There amt anything
I do know mulch about q always knowed
that word ought to be spelled mulch, but
somehow often find myself writing it much
But 1 asked Brownie Carstone, and she say.
yes, it is mutch.)"
~ remember that well, said Brownie at.
been hundred years ago, and l thought il
was such fun to tell him wrong. Poor old
Rip"
The tramp's journal went on:
"Moll is the first 1 remember. There was
something else, but I've give that up Ireckor
l dreampt it, about heaven and the angels
But l know I've got good blood in me, any.
how
The part of the history the reader is famil
lar with is here skipped. We take up Rip:
story again at this point:
II found old Moll again in Chesterton.
knew her by her one eye and her caved in
nose. Her husband give her that. She say,
his name was Slugger. Moll keeps house
She hides goods that comes down chimney
to her unbellnownst."
Then followed a record of aimless wander
ings not a few. Sometimes, as long as g
month or two, this outcast of humanity would
settle down and work like a civilized man
Then suddenly, for no apparent reason, the
vagabond spirit came upon him again, and
he would up and away like a gypsy, record
ing simply in his journal that, on such a date
Il took notion to go on the tramp"
Here is something that will interest the
reader:
II took lot of jewelry to Mol to keep safe
Moll looked over the swag. Among the bits
of brass and things was a curious lookin blue
ring No sooner had old Mol got her eye:
on that than she took fit. She grabbed my
shoulder, and says she:
Grip, where'd you get thatP
"Says /, its none o. your blessed business.
"'Oh, very well, says she, with her bach
up like, may be knows things to your adj
md I, 7 10 I,,-<
seen that ring afore, and may be l hain't
May be you and that ring belonged together
by rights, and may be you didn't
WELL says 1, "a young lady give it to me
cause was good lookin'.'
"Trip says Mol, you lie
Not a word more would she tell. I was
sure she knowed something about my folks
l was always sure of that. But she was
sulky that day.
II got at her next day.
"'Moll, says 1, you old rat, if you'll tel
me about that ring I'll give you all the lot OF
swag.'
"She wouldn't open her head / held up
little bottle of black stuff That made her old
cats eye shine
@'There,' says l, is somethin' that'n make
you happier'n New Jerusalem. I'll give you
that if you'll tell me-
"She grabbed for it. No you DON'T say
l. Tell me about the ring first, Moll Molly
darling, Missiz Maryp
AFTER while got it out of her. 1t was
quare story.
"There was twin brothers of us. Our father
was rich man and a great mob. Moll's hus
band, Slugger, made his honest Twin by di
viding rich peoples goods with himself. My
father was a rich man. Slugger saved then
the trouble of sharing their goods with the
poor by making the divvy himself. And he
done it in the night, not to disturb 'em.
"Our house had a big yard, with trees
One night Slugger found a back gate open
He slipped in. He saw a woman carry some
thing white out of the house and lay it down
under a tree. Then she went back and
brought out something else white and laid il
down by the other That was Slugger's time
He slips up along there, when out comes the
woman agin, and laws down something else
Then she went in. Slugger watched, and she
didn't come back He slips up closer, and
finds there two babies asleep and box along
with 'em. He lifts up the babies easy like
He has pocket, useful in his perfession. He
chucks the box in that pocket. Then he
lights out, babies and box.
HE knowed the babies and he knowed Their
father
"He was smart and lively, Slugger was
He lodges the police, and he slips along
through alleys and side ways, and he brings
the children home to Moll.
s'There, says he, there's pair of kids foI
you A big reward II be offered for 'em.'
at was a game thing to do, and a risky
one Slugger opened the box. 1t was g
jewel box Mol says it blinded her eyes te
look at the things in it. She amt never seen
SIGH SIGHT since Among the things was d
curious lookin' blue ring. Slugger took W
with notion in mint. He told Moll an
awful row would be raised about the boys
and they couldn't be kept together. He'd take
one and go over seas with it. The other he'd
leave with Moll That other was me. Luck
was agin me from the time was born.
@Slugger said he'd wait till the reward got
stiff enough Then he'd manage the business
part from a safe ways off. He took the UNI
common lookin' blue ring with him. 1t wasn't
worth much, he said, and it would help prove
that the babies was them jinooine two babies
that was lost
"A ship went out on the tide that morning.
Slugger knowed every ship. He could get
aboard in onregular ways, when he pleased
So at 5 O'Clock, before people was awake, my
twin brother was in ship, started over seas
MOL never laid eyes on her husband again.
He had pardner in London. Slugger was
from London himself. She got q letter from
his pardner three months after he went away.
Slugger was dead. He had been shot break
ing into a house. He was wounded, but
lodged the police and got of to his dem
They found him dead there. In the room
with the dead burglar was q little boy.
Singers pardner knowed the child had been
kidnapped for a reward He didn't know
whose child it was
1Slugger's pardner was in hiding himself,
and didn't dast to come out and say anything
The kid was took to St Hildegarde Found
ling asylum. Some rich people adopted him
after awhile That was t'other young one.
Luck was always agin me
MOL kept the letter. I've got it pasted in
the back of my journal But Mol didn't
know the name of the father of them two
kids, t'other young un and me. Slugger
wouldn't tell her. He KEEP It to hisself for
meanness. From all we can make out, Slug
ger held as much cussedness in his skin as any
white man ever did Ii be thought his wife
wanted anything that was reason enough
why she shouldn't have 1t. He had the right
does Of trainin' females. Non, the blamed
ole idioti whysn't she look into the newspa-
persl II it had been mel But women never
reads newspaper II they did, they'd know